Anesthesia systems are used in operating rooms and intensive care units to supply a continuous and accurate mixture of medical gases and anesthetic agents to patients in order to induce loss of physical sensation, particularly pain, and to keep the patients sedated during procedures and in critical situations. Typical anesthesia systems include an anesthesia machine connected to hospital piped gases. Anesthesia machines are mounted on wheels and usually comprise a ventilator, one or more vaporizers for addition of volatile anesthetic agents, a suction unit, patient monitoring devices, displays, and a work bench. The machines are typically positioned in proximity to the head of the patient, allowing enough room for surgeons and nurses to operate and maneuver. Anesthesiologists and/or nurse anesthetists stand by the machine at the head of the patient and are able to observe both the patient and the anesthesia machine displays, enabling them to react quickly if an emergency situation arises.
Modern anesthesia machines include one or two displays that can be viewed by the anesthetist. The first display relays information regarding the functionality of the ventilator. A second display is often included and typically relays physiological data regarding the status of the patient obtained from the patient monitoring devices of the anesthesia machine. Current machines typically have their displays mounted in one of two fashions. In the first, the displays are fixed and mounted inboard within the footprint of the machine. This acts to conserve valuable space within the operating room, but offers less than desirable usability for anesthetists facing the patient or away from the center of the machine. It also acts to further clutter the area around the front of the anesthesia machine. The second addresses the usability and clutter issues by utilizing display mount arms. These arms are typically mounted outboard and can be repositioned by the anesthetist to improve visibility and clear the front of the machine. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,722, assigned to William Alan Roberts, describes a “support structure for mounting equipment to a transportable anesthesia machine having a wheeled frame, said support structure comprising an elongate vertical member adapted to mount the equipment which is to be mounted to the anesthesia machine, said vertical member having an upper end and a lower end; an elongate horizontal member extending perpendicularly from said lower end of said vertical member, said horizontal member having an inboard end attached to said vertical member and having an outboard end; means for securing said horizontal member to the frame of the anesthesia machine so that said vertical member is disposed alongside the anesthesia machine and said support structure moves as a unit with the anesthesia machine when the anesthesia machine is transported, said means for securing including a retaining plate adjustably connected to said horizontal member for movement toward said horizontal member to compressively secure the frame between said retaining plate and said horizontal member; and a vertical foot extending downwardly from said horizontal member in a perpendicular direction, said foot being axially aligned with said vertical member.” However, use of these outboard arms also results in increasing the overall footprint of the machine.
Therefore, a need exists for a display mounting system that imparts increased flexibility in display positioning and viewing but does not increase the physical footprint of the anesthesia machine. Such a mounting system will enhance user viewing flexibility, allowing the anesthetist to focus more easily on both the patient and the machine displays, and thereby perform more efficiently.
Additionally, since outboard mounted moveable arms increase the cost of anesthesia machines, an integrated, flexible display mounting system will act not only to keep the machine footprint smaller, but will also keep costs lower when compared to display mount arms.